Cultivator.



No. 830,667. BATENTBD SEPT. 11, 190s.

J. KIRKPATRIGK.

GULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FBB. 1906.

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J. KIRKPATRIGK;

GULTIVATOR. APPLIOATION FILED IBB. 5. 190e.

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JAMES KIRKPATRIOK, OF WHITTEMORE, IOWA. I

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application led February 5, 1906. Serial No. 299,608.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs KIRKPATRIGK, a

citizen of the United States, residingat Whitplan View.

`view of the same.

temere, in the county of Kossuth and State of Iowa, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in cultivators.

The object of the invention is to provide a cultivator which willthoroughly loosen up and work the surface of the ground and mulch thesoil against the plants being cultivated.

Another object is to provide an improved steering mechanism for guidingthe movement of the machine, means being also provided for regulatingthe space between the cultivating-blades and the angle at which it isdesired the same shall work.

A further object is to provide means for yieldingly supporting thecultivator-frames and means for raising or lowering and holding the sameto cause the blades to cultivate deep or shallow and to raise the sameentirely above the ground, means being also provided to regulate thelevel of the drivers seat.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the cultivator.Fig. 2 is a top Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a central verticallongitudinal sectional Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional viewthrough one of the cultivatorbeams and the supporting mechanism.therefor. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of thecultivator-blades, and Fig. 7 is a 4similar view of one of themulching-blades.

Referring more particularly to the draw- -ings, 1 denotes the frame ofthe machine, said frame consisting of a horizontally-disposed cross-bar2, to the outer ends of which are secured vertically-disposedbearing-brackets 3.

In the brackets 3 are journaled the verticallydisposed portion ofright-angularly formed axles 4, on the horizontal portions of which arejournaled supporting-wheels 5. To the upper projecting ends of thevertical portions of the axles 4 are secured forwardly and downwardlyprojecting arms 6, connected together by means of a cross-bar 7.

To the vertical portions of the axles immediately below thebearing-brackets 3 aresecured inwardly-projecting arms 8, in the innerends of which are formed a series of vertically-disposed apertures, withone of which are connected the downwardly-bent forward ends of guiderods or bars 9, the opposite or 1 rear ends of which are pivotallyconnected to depending foot-rest bars 10, on the lower ends of which areformed foot-rests 12. The upper ends of the foot-rest bars 10 arepivotally connectedy to the rearwardly-projecting ends of a draft-frame13, which consists of angle-iron bars 14, bolted or otherwise secured tothe cross-bar 1 and extending forwardly and curving inwardly, as shown.The forward inwardly-curved ends of the bars 14 are rigidly connected tothe rear end of a draft-tongue 15. Said bars 14 are connected by across-bar 16, to which the rear end of the tongue is also connected. Theangle-bars 14 are further supported by means of brace-bars 17, which areconnected to the bars 14 at the end of the cross-bar 16 and areconnected at their opposite ends to apertured lugs 18, formed on thebearing-brackets 3 of the axle.

Pivotally mounted on the cross-bar 2 inside the ends of the draft-framebars 14 are regulating-levers 19, said levers being provided withspring-projected pawls 20, which are adapted to engage the teeth ofsegmental racks 21, vfixed upon the cross-bar 2,

as shown. To the bifurcated forward ends of the levers 19 are pivotallyconnected the upper ends of supporting-rods 22. Said rods are ada ted topass through guide-blocks 23,

ivotallly connected to the ends of the reguating-levers, the upper endof the rods 22 being threaded to receive adjusting-nuts 24, which areadapted to rest upon the block 23, thereby loosely supporting said rodsand permitting the same to be vertically adjusted. On the rods 22 areformed shoulders 25, and

on said rods between the shoulders 25 and the guide-blocks 23 aredisposed 'coiled springs 26, bymeans of which the rods 22 are yieldinglysupported by the regulating-'le-- vers 19.

Pivotally connected to the lower ends of the rods 22 is a yoke-shapedcultivator-frame 27, to the lower ends of which are adjustably connectedsupporting-blocks 28, to which the IOC IIO

, vator-blades 46.

cultivator-beams are adjustably connected. The blocks 28 are providedwith upwardlyprojecting lugs 29, in which are formed parallelhorizontally-disposed slots 30. Through the lower ends of thecultivator-frame 27 and the slots 30 are adapted to be passedconnecting-bolts 31, by which the blocks 28 are adj ustably connected tothe lower end of said cultivator-frame to permit said blocks to be movedlaterally on the lower ends of the frame. On the inner side of each ofthe blocks 28 are formed forwardly-projecting arms 32, in the outer endsof which are formed segmental 'slots 33. Pivotally connected to the arms32, by means of pivotbolts 34, are the inner ends of a yoke-shapedconnecting-frame 35, the outer end of which is pivotally connected tothe under side of the tongue 15, as shown at 36. The side bars of theframe 35, near the rear pivoted ends of the same, are provided withbolts 37, which are adapted to pass through segmental slots 33 in theends of the arms 32. On said bolts are adapted to be screwedclamping-nuts 38. By means of the slots 33 the blocks 28 may be adjustedto different angles on the ends of the frame 35, and by means of thebolt 37 and nuts 38 said blocks may be secured at the angle to which thesame may be adjusted. In order to limit the lateral movement or swingingof the cultivator-frame, the lower ends of the same, immediately abovethe blocks 28, are connected to the ends of chains 39, the opposite endsof which are connected to the axles 4, as shown.

In the rear en ds of the blocks 28 are formed vertically-disposed slots40, in which are inserted cylindrical lugs 41, formed on the upper sideof cultivator-beams 42. Said lugs are preferably arranged midway betweenthe ends of the beams 42, and on the upper end of the same are formedupwardly-projecting threaded extensions 43, which are passed upwardlythrough apertures in the upper wall of the sockets 40 and have screwedthereon retaining-nuts 44, by which the beams are adjustably connectedwith the supportingblocks 28. By loosening the nuts 44 thecultivator-beams may be turned at various angles with respect to theblocks 28 and may be held at such angles by again tightening the nuts44.

The cultivator-beams 42 are provided with a series oflongitudinally-disposed apertures, through which are inserted theupwardly and rearwardly turned ends or shanks 45 of culti- There may beany number of cultivator-blades 46, two of the same being shown in thepresent instance, and each of said blades consists of the upwardly andrearwardly turned shanks 45 and an elongated cultivator-blade portionwhich is disposed at a slight angle to the surface of the ground, saidblades being formed with inwardly-pro- 6 5 jecting cutting edges, asshown. The Shanks 45 of the cultivator-bla'des'are provided with reducedthreaded ends which project through the cultivator-beams and are adaptedto have screwed thereon retaining-nuts 47, by which thecultivator-blades are securely held in place on the beams. Adjustablyconnected to the inner end of each of the beams 42 is a fender plate orboard 48, said boards or blades being provided with right-angularupwardlyprojecting arms or bars 49, in the upper ends of which arelformed apertures by which said arms are engaged with the threaded endof the inner cultivator-blade, thereby adjustably securingthe fenderplates or boards to the cultivator-beams.

On the rear side of the cultivator-beams 42, midway between the ends ofthe same, are formed rearwardly-projecting arms or brackets 50, to whichare pivotally and adjustably connected the forwardly-projectingstandards or supporting-arms 51 of transverselydisposed mulching-blades52. These blades 52 are curved forwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, and theirlower edges are inclined from their inner ends downwardly toward theirouter ends, as shown in Fig. 3. Said blades are located in rear of thecultivator-blades and serve to push the pulverized earth up to theplants. The blades are relatively long and narrow and at their innerends are inclined from their lower edges upwardly and rearwardly and attheir outer ends upwardly and forwardly, as shown by plan view, Fig. 2.

On the forward side of the cross-bar 2, between the 1bars of thedraft-frame, are formed pairs of apertured bearing-lugs 53, betweenwhich are pivotally connected the downwardly-bent forward ends of aV-shaped seat-supporting frame 54. On the rear end of the frame 54 issecured a drivers seat 55. The downwardly-projecting ends of theseatframe are provided with a series of apertures whereby the same maybe adjustably connected to the lugs 53. The bars of the seatframe arefurther provided with sliding sleeves 56, which frictionally engage theside bars of the seat-frame and are provided on their lower sides withdownwardly-projecting plates 57. In these plates 57 are formed a seriesof notches or offsets which are arranged at different levels, so that byshifting the sleeves 56 along the side bars of the seatframe thedifferent notches or offsets may be brought into position to rest uponthe top of the cross-bar, thereby supporting the seatframe at diiferentlevels, thus providing a simple and efficient means for raising orlowering the seat. Pivotally connected to the inner end of the tongueadjacent to the end of the draft-frame is a transversel -disposeddraft-bar 58, to the ends of whic are connected the usual swingletreesor other draft devices.

By connecting the pivoted aXles of the supporting-wheels to therest-bars, as here- IOO IIO

inbefore described, the machine may be easily and efficiently steered orguided along the rows of plants being cultivated, while the peculiarconstruction and arrangement ofthe cultivator and mulching blades willthoroughly and efliciently cultivate and mulch the soil against saidplants.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the prin* cipleor sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a surface-cultivator, the combination with a wheeledsupporting-frame, of a cultivator-frame, means whereby saidcultivatorranie is yieldably and adjustably sup ported upon saidsi1pporting-frame, pivoted foot-rest bars for guiding the cultivator,cultivator-beams carried by said cultivatorframe, means whereby saidbeams are adjusted laterally and angularlyupon said frame,surface-cultivator blades, curved surface-blades, and fender-boardscarried by said beams, substantially as described.

2. A cultivator of the character described, comprising asupporting-frame consisting of a horizontally-disposed bar,vertically-disposed bearing-brackets arranged on the ends of said bar,right-angularly-formed aXles journaled in said brackets,supportingwheels journaled on said axles, cultivatorframes carried bysaid bar, adjusting-levers pivotally mounted on said bar, aperturedguide-blocks pivotally mounted in the ends of said levers,supporting-rods connected at their lower ends to said cultivator-frames,said rods being threaded at their upper ends and adapted to pass throughsaid apertured guide-blocks, adjusting-nuts adapted to be screwed ontothe upper threaded ends of said supporting-rods, coiled springs arrangedon said rods between said guide-blocks and a shoulderformed on the rods,and cultivatorblades carried by said frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.Y

JAMES KIRKPATRICK. Witnesses:

CHAs. T. COTANT, THos. CARMoDY.

